Diffusion of anti-tumor drugs through membranes from hydrophilic methacrylate gels

Permeation parameters of four anti-tumor drugs across membranes prepared from hydrophilic methacrylate gels were measured and compared with the permeation of NaCl. It was found that by increasing the ratio of butyl methacrylate (BMA) to hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), the rate of diffusion can be lowered to practically zero at 20% BMA. However, this decrease is different with various drugs due to the interaction of the drug with the gel. Differences by a factor of two were found in our set of drugs. Therefore, each new drug should be tested in this way. In addition a routine testing of dialysing devices by an NaCl solution is suggested as a method for detecting technological imperfections and calibrating the deviations from standard parameters. A chemical modification of the membrane is recommended as the best way for controlling the permeation rate.